As part of the event, president MHJU, Ramkung Pamei led two silent prayer sessions while executive secretary, Zeliangrong Evangelist Fellowship Tamenglong, Gaichengsui Gangmei shared a short gospel and offered prayers for the journalists.

Ramkung Pamei, in his presidential speech, further highlighted the history of journalism in Tamenglong while urging the public to support and promote journalism in the district.

Expressing the need to be united, he said, “We have seen in the recent past, authorities who are supposed to be encouraging the fourth estate rising against it in the name of nationalism or being patriotic.” Reports of threat to the lives of journalists increase with every passing day.

Questioning government policy or the wisdom of any ruling political leader is sedition and is declared anti- national. The Gauri Lankesh case and the silence of Barkha Dutt have kept us wondering if journalists in this small corner of the country could stand out and face these challenges, he said.

“Adding salt to the wound became the case of one of our own when the MLA elected from Tamenglong district abused our comrades during their field duties on March 14, which led to the boycott of the ‘people’s representative’. The ‘senior leader’, as he called himself in a letter written to the President of All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU), dated September 1, 2018 is showing his might against the humble scribes,” he asserted.

The president of MHJU further stated that “There is no freedom of the press or the freedom of expression as long as there is threat of physical assault to a journalist and as long as responsible leaders like this MLA do not desist from normalizing hatred and insulting the journalists in public.”

While informing that the boycott is still on and a more stringent move is anticipated with the Editors’ Guild Manipur (EGM) and All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) shifting from ‘showing solidarity’ with the Manipur Hills Journalists’ Union (MHJU) through Tamenglong District Working Journalists’ Union (TADWJU) to leading the move, he also said, “Having said that, we never exalt ourselves in gagging somebody from speaking out to the people he represents. We want to end this impasse.”

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